Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/04/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 4/20/05 11:28 PM, "Scott McLoughlin" <scott@adrenaline.com> typed: > Prices for B&W film are already going up. Part of the fun of shooting > B&W is shooting a ton of film and souping it myself as an overall > economical > activity. > > Well, gray market Tri-X dried up this summer, so I bought 1/2 a freezer > full > of HP5+ and FP4+. Thankfully HP5+ really likes HC-110, so it wasn't too > much of a switch. Scan's a little grainier than Tri-X, but I've come to > appreciate > it's tones. I'm still trying got get FP4+ contrast in line with what my > film scanner > wants to see, but when it's on, boy that is one *fantastic* film. > > Anyway, Ilford's film prices at B&H are up now too! Fuji Neopan 400 > is still available "imported" for something like $2.29 a roll, so I'm > tempted > to go buy and freeze 100 rolls of that stuff. The Arista repacked HP5 > is also a little cheaper if you buy in bulk. > > Anyway, when I shoot B&W, it just don't even think about film costs, > and I like it that way. I also like the results. I can scan and print > digitally, > or walk down to a nice lab and have a wet print made. I like having the > negs in folders and not images sitting on hard disks or what not. It just > works for me. I hope I can get over the hurdle of $5/roll if it comes to > that. > > Scott > > Feli wrote: > >> I think color negative film will be the first to bite the dust. It's >> too dependent on the average consumer, who is >> going digital. It's also become expensive, nearly $15 per roll >> (purchase and develop). >> >> Slide film may hang on longer, because there is no means of digital >> projection this side of $100,000 that is even in the ballpark with it. >> >> Black and white will probably survive for a very long time. It's >> simpler to manufacture than color films, easier to process (at home >> and at the lab) and it's already a niche product. I would bet that >> most people who continue to shoot will film, will be black and white >> shooters. They shoot film because they like to. But I do think prices >> will go up and the selection will narrow... >> >> Give me Tri-X or give me death. >> >> feli >> >> On Apr 20, 2005, at 8:20 PM, firkin wrote: >> Pretty soon we'll be able to say "Shot with real film!" "Printed on real paper with real silver in it in a real darkroom" I think we'll be about to recoupe our costs if we're die hard film nuts. The novelty of the pixies will wear off after awhile. There's always the lure of analog, no matter where you go or what field you're in. Mark Rabiner Photography Portland Oregon http://rabinergroup.com/